Plant-based steaks, vegan sausages, meat-free bacon... The government published a new decree prohibiting the use of names linked to products of animal origin for those which do not contain meat, this Tuesday, February 27.
A first decree was published in June 2022, but it was suspended in summary proceedings by the Council of State.
The text was a long-standing demand from stakeholders in the animal sector, who believe that terms can create confusion among consumers.
The decree lists in particular terms directly referring to pieces of meat, such as fillet, rump steak, escalope, steak, ribs or even ham (full list below).
These names are now completely prohibited to designate products which contain vegetable proteins, even in very small quantities.
Vegetable proteins authorized in certain products
Terms
“referring to the names of species and groups of animal species, to animal morphology or anatomy”
are also prohibited for marketing or promoting a product containing plant proteins .
They can no longer be described as
“butcher”
or
“charcuterie”
products .
Other terms may be used for foodstuffs
"of animal origin which may contain vegetable proteins"
, provided that a maximum percentage - in percentage - of vegetables is respected, which is very low.
These are products where plant ingredients
“do not replace foodstuffs of animal origin but are added in addition to the latter as part of these assemblies”
.
We find in this second list most cold meats (coppa, rosette, lonzo, mortadella, etc.) but also merguez or sausages (which can contain up to 2% or 3% vegetable proteins), terrines (5% ), snacks (3%)...
Exception for foreign products
Flavorings - for example artificial chicken flavoring for crisps - can, however, continue to use terms from the animal kingdom for their name.
“Products legally manufactured or marketed in another Member State of the European Union or in a third country”
remain authorized, specifies the government text.
A plant-based steak produced abroad can therefore always be marketed with such a designation, but not one made in France.
These new rules will come into force
“on the first day of the third month”
following their publication, i.e. May 1.
Foods manufactured before this date can still be sold until stocks last, for one year.
The decree provides for maximum fines of 1,500 euros for an individual and 7,500 euros for a company.
Term or name |
Maximum authorized vegetable protein content |
Baroness Aiguillette |
0% |
Andouille |
1%* |
Andouillette |
1%* |
Bacon |
0.50%* |
Ballottina |
1%* |
Low coast |
0% |
Sirloin steak |
0% |
Steak |
0% |
Chicken breast*) |
3% |
Liquid/powdered egg white |
0.10% |
Butcher |
0% |
Black pudding |
1%* |
Cervelas |
2% |
Sausage |
0.5 0%* |
Poultry sausage meat (****) |
2% |
Butcher |
0% |
Chipolata |
1%* |
Chorizo |
1%* |
Poultry chorizo (****) |
1.50% |
Liver confit/confit (species excluding poultry) |
0.50%* |
Coppa |
0.50%* |
Cordon bleu |
3.50% |
Corned beef |
1%* |
Cooked pork chop |
1% |
Crepinette / Poultry crepinette (****) |
1%*2% |
Cooked pork loin |
0.50%* |
Entrecote |
0% |
Cooked shoulder |
0.50%* |
Half-salted shoulder |
0.50%* |
Dry shoulder |
0.50%* |
Escalope |
0% |
Escalope with (poultry) |
1%* |
Escalope of (type of poultry) Viennese style |
1% |
False fillet |
0% |
Net |
0% |
Cooked fillet |
1% |
Cooked filet mignon |
0.50%* |
Smoked filet mignon |
0.50%* |
Dry filet mignon |
0.50%* |
Flank |
0% |
Spindle |
1%* |
Galantine |
5% |
Gigolette |
1.50% |
Leg |
1.50% |
Grill |
0% |
Flagpole |
0% |
Ham |
0% |
Ham |
0.50%* |
Cooked ham |
0.50%* |
Burgundy ham |
1% |
Reims ham |
1% |
Poultry ham (****) |
3% |
Parsley ham |
1% |
Dry ham |
0.50%* |
Ham |
1%* |
Cooked shank |
1%* |
Liquid/powdered egg yolk |
0.10% |
Knack |
3%** |
Poultry snack (****) |
2% |
ham bacon |
1% |
Fat bacon |
1%* |
Peasant bacon |
1% |
Bacons |
0.50%* |
Poultry bacon (****) |
1.50% |
Longanisse |
3%* |
Lanyard |
0% |
Lonzo |
0.50%* |
Mergues/Merguez |
2%* |
Poultry cutting pieces (****) |
5%* |
Mortadella |
4% |
Shoulder nut |
0.50% |
Ham nuts |
0.50% |
Name marinated offal of (+ species) |
2% |
Nuggets (+type of poultry) |
3.50%* |
Liquid/powdered whole egg |
0.10% |
Omelette |
1% |
Tab |
0% |
Chuck |
0% |
Palette |
1% |
Devilish Palette |
3% |
Half-salt palette |
0.50%* |
Pancetta |
1% |
Pastrami |
1%* |
Dough |
5% |
Paupiette: - of (+ species) (excluding poultry) - superior of (+ species) - traditional - of poultry (****) |
6%3%0.50%*2% |
Small salty |
0.50%* |
Half-salted rib dish |
0.50%* |
Cooked brisket |
0.50%* |
Smoked bacon |
0.50%* |
Dry chest |
0.50%* |
Rillettes |
1%* |
Rosette |
1%* |
Roast cooked |
0.50%* |
Roast treated in salting |
0.50%* |
Rum steak |
0% |
Salami |
1% |
Sausage |
3% |
Sausage to cook |
0.50%* (1) |
Frying sausage |
0.50%* (1) |
Grilling sausage |
0.50%* (1) |
Alsatian sausage |
3%** |
Cocktail sausage |
3%** (2) |
Cooked sausage |
3%** (2) |
Alsace sausage |
3%** |
Frankfort sausage |
3%** |
Lyon sausage |
3%** |
Strasbourg sausage |
3%** |
Toulouse sausage |
0.50%* |
Poultry sausage (****) |
2% |
Alsatian smoked sausage |
0.50%* |
Lorraine sausage |
0.50%* |
Dried sausage |
1%* |
Viennese sausage |
3%** |
Sausage |
5% |
Sausage to cook |
0.50%* (1) |
Frying sausage |
0.50%* (1) |
Grilling sausage |
0.50%* (1) |
Brioche-style sausage |
3%** (2) |
Cooked poultry sausage (****) |
2% |
Lyon sausage |
1%* |
Dry sausage |
1%* |
Dry poultry sausage (****) |
3% |
Steak |
0% |
Tendron |
0% |
Ardennes terrine |
5% |
Terrine with X (X name of the species) |
5% |
Breton terrine |
5% |
Country terrine |
5% |
Liver terrine |
5% |
Ham terrine |
5% |
Terrine of X (X name of a species) |
5% |
Jura terrine |
5% |
Grandma Terrine |
5% |
Tournedos (poultry) (****) |
1%* |
Cross |
0% |
Belly |
0.50%* |
Marinated meat of (+ species) |
2% |
Poultry Viennese (****) |
3.50% |
(*) Vegetable protein content from only the condiments and aromatics contained in the product.
(**) Of which 1% can only come from condiments and aromatics contained in the product.
(***) Of which 1.5% can only come from condiments and aromatics contained in the product.
(****) By “poultry” we mean the term poultry and all species of poultry (turkey, chicken, duck, guinea fowl, quails, pigeon).
(1) An additional addition of 2% of vegetable proteins is authorized for products incorporated into a canned dish.
(2) An addition of vegetable proteins up to an overall limit of 7% (excluding proteins from condiments and aromatics) is authorized for products incorporated into a canned dish.